Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a child-resistant closure device adapted to attach articles such as hand actuated dispenser pumps to the neck of container.
Federal regulations now require that many products be packaged in containers equipped with child-resistant closures. Examples of such materials are drain cleaners, certain cleaning compositions, disinfectants, insecticides and numerous other products which when injested by children can cause serious injury or death.
Numerous child-resistant closures have been described in the prior art and many of these closures are presently commercially available. Generally, the closures of the prior art which are child-resistant have a solid top-cap portion and are adapted for closure of containers where the cap portion must be completely removed to dispense the contents of the container. One of the early child-resistant and tamper-proof closures is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,582. The closure system uses a container neck that is provided with a plurality with integrally formed cam shoulders which are engaged by flexible, obliquely directed tongue members on the inner wall of the cap to prevent removal of the cap once the cap is rotated on the closure. To remove the cap, force is applied thereto and weakened vertical sections of the cap's sidewall split open to permit removal of the cap from the container.
Dispensing closures provided with child-proof features are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,209,100 and 4,220,262. These dispensing closures are of the "flip-top" type whereby an opening in the center of the top cap is opened by lifting a flap equipped with a plug member to permit dispensing a stream of the product by squeezing the bottle. These child-resistant closures are permanently engaged with the container to prevent removal therefrom by means of a plurality of peripherally spaced serrations provided on the inwardly facing portion of the lower portion of the skirt of the closure which engage locking serrations provided on the neck of the container. When the closure cap of the above two noted patents are placed on the container it is impossible for either a child or an adult to remove it therefrom without total destruction of the closure, thus preventing reuse of the container.
Other types of safety or child-proof closures which use a combination of ratchets on the neck or shoulder of the container with various types of engaging means on the cap skirt are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,881,623 and 3,891,110.
There are numerous two-piece safety closures where the outer cap normally rotates freely on the inner threaded cap except when the outer cap is pulled upwardly from the inner cap to engage the teeth provided on the inner wall of the outer closure with the teeth on the outer wall of the inner closure to permit engagement and removal of the threaded two piece closure from the container by an adult. One such closure of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,554. A different type of two-piece child-resistant closure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,101 where the outer cap's top portion is provided with legs extending from its underside to maintain the outer cap in the "up" position where it rotates freely when turned by the user. In order to engage the outer and inner caps and remove the inner cap from the container it is necessary to press downwardly on the periphery of the resilient top of the cap so that the lugs on the inner side walls of the outer cap engage the grooves on the outer side wall of the inner cap and rotate the interlocked cap to remove it from the container.
There has been a need in the market place for a child-resistant safety closure which can be utilized to attach hand held dispensing devices such as finger or trigger pumps to a container which would prevent children having access to the contents of the container which may contain fluids harmful to children such as window cleaners, bath tub cleaners, general purpose cleaners, insecticides, etc. Normally, such hand actuated pumps are attached to containers by conventional threaded closure members having a free rotating engagement with the lower end of the pump and a threaded engagement with the conventional threads of the container. These types of closure attachments can be removed by young children.
Certain hand actuated pumps utilized on commercial products now on the market have a permanently placed loose fitting collar or sleeve attached to the container after the dispenser pump is coupled to the container by means of the conventional closure. The free-rotating sleeve prevents removal of the closure attachment by both children and adults after the container has been filled and the sleeve has been attached thereto. Thus the container and pump cannot be reused after original contents have been used up.
Thus it can be seen that there is a need in the market place for a child-resistant closure member for attaching a device such as a trigger pump or finger pump to a container which closure member can be removed by an adult for refilling of the container yet will prevent a child from opening the container and possibly injesting the contents thereof.